Natural Preservative Effect of Plant Extracts

Preservative black technology in the plant world

When I was shopping in the supermarket a few days ago, I saw that there were suddenly more jams marked "natural plant preservatives" on the shelves. I picked up a bottle out of curiosity and found that the ingredient list said "rosemary plant extract". The saleswoman smiled and said: "Now even preservatives have begun to roll up natural formulas!" Today, let's take a look at the preservation magic hidden in flowers and plants.

Antibacterial arsenal of plants

I remember that a friend in the laboratory showed me a set of comparative experiments last year: the same cut apple, the one coated with clove extract did not turn brown for three days, while the untreated one had already turned yellow. It turns out that spice plants like cloves and cinnamon are born with "chemical weapons" such as phenolic compounds, which can destroy the cell membrane structure of bacteria. Even more amazing is garlic. The alliin it contains will turn into allicin when it encounters air. The bactericidal effect is comparable to disinfectant, but it will not leave harmful substances like chemical preservatives.

All-rounder in the antioxidant world

The tea polyphenols floating in the tea are not simple, it is like a rust inhibitor for food. Once when visiting a food factory, I saw workers adding green tea extract to ham. The factory manager explained that these polyphenols can capture free oxygen free radicals, which is equivalent to putting an "antioxidant coat" on meat products. Rosemary extract is even more of a master. Western restaurants love to use it to preserve steaks. It is both antiseptic and fragrant, and much healthier than simply using nitrite.

The green revolution of modern food

The "nisin" in the ingredient list of the recent popular yogurt actually comes from fermented plants. This microbial preservative can keep yogurt alive in the refrigerator for half a month longer. The bakery opened by a friend now uses citrus seed extract instead of potassium sorbate. The shelf life of the baked bread has not been shortened, but it has a more orange fragrance. However, plant preservatives can also be delicate. For example, perilla leaf extract is afraid of high temperatures and must be transported in a cold chain to be effective.

Natural selection for the future dining table

My senior in the biology lab is studying how to extract preservative plant ingredients from pepper seed waste. He said this is a typical example of "turning waste into treasure". Now even carbon dioxide is certified as a natural preservative. No wonder sparkling water lasts longer than ordinary mineral water. Next time you see a long botanical name in the ingredient list, don't panic. It may be a green preservation solution given by nature to the modern food industry.

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